Visiting Blessington Lakes? Rent a boat, Barbecue, Relax on an Empty Beach for the Day

When the sun is beaming, Ireland is truly the most magnificent country in the world! More importantly with Weekend Ireland, we're going to show you how easy it is to take advantage of its beauty.

In Ireland, we have some marvellous scenic countryside, especially in Wicklow, which is one of the counties that border Dublin. It's called "God's back garden" for an excellent reason. With its stunning mountains, green forests, and vast lakes, it is the perfect area for anyone in this country to tour this weekend. Take some time to unwind and enjoy some of the best that our country has to offer.

Blessington Lakes, which are a 40-minute drive from Dublin, is an impressive, less travelled group of stunning lakes that you can visit. The journey is very much worth it to take you out of the bustle of Dublin city. It's a beautiful place for kids to play and paddle in the shallow waters, swimming is forbidden in the lakes. With many different pursuits to choose from, one of my favourite activities is renting a boat for the day.

Sail to a quiet or even empty beach, take a travel-barbecue, and have a different experience this weekend.

On your way into Blessington town, which is a quaint little town itself, you'll find an Aldi and a Dunne's Stores. Here you can stock up on all the expected items you would need to make your day perfect. Pick up your travel-barbecue, buy fresh meat's and cold drinks, so making a quick stop off at these stores on your route won't put you out too much.

You can book a motorboat or rowing boat for the day in Blessington for €75. A vessel like this will accommodate the whole family and will make it easier for you to find yourself a secluded beach to spend the day. There are many small beaches around the lakes, so finding an empty one for yourself shouldn't be too difficult.You can book your boat rental in advance of your trip through Blessington boat hire. They are accommodating guys and give you all the instructions you need to know about handling the boat.

If you ask they will give you the locations of some beaches you can anchor down. You can also hire fishing rods from them if you want to chill on your boat in the middle of the lake and try to catch some fish.

If fishing is your thing, Blessington lake boat hire will also provide you with the required fishing licence as part of the rental of equipment from them directly. The permit will you avoid having any issues with the authorities for illegal fishing. Blessington Lakes is considered a centre of excellence for Pike angling, which on average here can be between 20 and 30 lbs. The lakes are filled with brown and rainbow trout also, so there is a lot of good fishing to be had. After your day relaxing, fishing, barbecuing, you might want to grab a delicious drink and maybe some dinner in the evening.

For the Instagram lovers out there, a good thing to know is, Wicklow has its very own Hollywood sign in a tiny town close to Blessington called Hollywood.

It shows the real Irish sense of humour as the Irish Hollywood sign on the Hollywood hills is surrounded by grazing sheep, so makes a fantastic Instagram landmark photo with a twist. Not far from the Irish Hollywood sign is an excellent pub and restaurant called, "The Hollywood Inn". This place is a popular spot and has a lovely little beer garden out the back where you can enjoy the last of the sun over a tasty meal and a cold beer.

Unfortunately, there is less chance of meeting any celebrities in Wicklows Hollywood than the Los Angeles original. If you want to spend the night in Blessington, there are plenty of hotel choices along with bed & breakfast's to select. "The Avon", my personal favourite, which is a great little place just outside Blessington Village. It is a family-friendly or adult-only hotel and holiday home accommodation. It offers some great activities that you and the kids can do like Zorbing, rifle shooting and canoeing so it will only improve your day or weekend in Blessington.

They also have a massive playground there if you need the kids to burn off any excess energy they might have at the end of the evening. So there you have it, another fantastic way for you to have some enjoyable and memorable quality time with your family this weekend in Ireland.

If you need more ideas to make the most of your weekend in Ireland, check out our Top 5 things to do with your kids this weekend here.

You can find Blessington lakes here.

You can find Blessington Lake boat hire's website here.

The Hollywood Inn's Website is here, and their location is here.

Also, you can visit and book accommodation in "The Avon" here.